scared to death
Extremely frightened.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I am scared to death of spiders.”
“The thunder was so loud during the storm that the children were scared to death.”
“Although she tried to appear composed, she was scared to death that the truth about her past would finally be revealed.”
The expression is potentially a reformation of the Old English phrase oþ dēaþ ondrǣdan, which translates literally as to be scared to death.
- 01
article of death
The moment of death.
- 02
catch one's death
To contract a serious illness, especially a nasty cold or other respiratory ailment and especially as a result of exposure to wet or chilly weather.
- 03
death and taxes
Something which is totally certain.
- 04
death by a thousand paper cuts
An ultimate negative outcome, such as the failure of a project, brought about by an excessive number of bureaucratic hurdles.
- 05
death by PowerPoint
The boredom or disengagement that an audience experiences from poorly designed or overly verbose presentations using any type of presentation software.
- 06
die a thousand deaths
To suffer repeatedly (often mentally rather than physically); to suffer extreme embarrassment or anxiety.
- 07
kiss of death
Something that may seem good and favorable but that actually brings ruin to hopes, plans, etc.
- 08
living death
A condition of suffering, solitude, or impairment so extreme as to deprive one's existence of all happiness and meaning.
Last updated August 10, 2026